17 things we learned from Sony’s massive PS4 FAQ

No audio CD or MP3 support, but you can be logged in on two systems at once.

By our count, the massive Ultimate FAQ that Sony posted today regarding the PS4 answers 191 questions about the system, ranging from the essential (“When does PS4 come out in different countries and regions?”) to the trivial (“Does PS4’s graphical user interface have a name like the PS3 system’s ‘Cross Media Bar’?”).

You can read through the whole thing yourself, but you’ll end up wasting a lot of time on things that are obvious, already well-known, or simply inessential marketing speak. To help save you the trouble, here is our list of 17 good, bad, and ugly things we learned from the FAQ. While not all of these items are strictly new information, they are all important or interesting, and they're presented here to counteract the slow drip of information Sony has been putting out for months now.

The good

You can be logged in to two PS4 systems at once

As long as one of the systems is the “primary” system for a given PSN account, you can simultaneously log in on another PS4 without kicking out the first user. This will give you access to all the same games, cloud saves, and any other information from the second system—no fuss, no muss. This is potentially a killer feature for multi-system homes.

The PS4 supports system-level voice commands

With the PlayStation Camera or the included mono headset, you can “control key PS4 functions using [voice] commands such as starting up a game or taking a screenshot.” I’m sure Sony has mentioned this in the past, but the company has generally buried any talk of this feature. Microsoft, on the other hand, has been trumpeting the Xbox One Kinect’s support for voice commands from the highest rooftops for months now.

The PS4 is designed to stand upright or be laid flat

This is in contrast to the Xbox One, which Microsoft says you should only stack vertically “at your own risk.” Sony is even selling an official stand for $14 to make sure your vertical system stays stable.

You don’t need to reset the PS4’s video settings when moving a system to a new TV

Anyone who ever took their PS3 to a friend’s house, only to end up struggling to even get a picture to show up on a TV with different display settings or resolution, faced this annoyance. Apparently, Sony has fixed the problem this time around.

The PS4 uses an internal power supply rather than a bulky external power brick

The bad

The PS4 doesn’t support external hard drives

We had some idea this one was coming—Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida tweeted about it a few months ago, but the official confirmation is a big deal. One possible reason: all PS4 games have to be cached to the hard drive “to ensure a smooth gaming experience,” according to Sony. Trying to stream that cached game data over a USB connection might be too slow to provide the desired smoothness.

It should be noted that the Xbox One also won’t have this feature at launch, but Microsoft says that it is working on adding it in a future update. Sony’s answer doesn’t suggest any similar future update is coming. On the plus side, Sony reconfirmed that the included 500GB hard drive inside the PS4 is fully replaceable with another standard hard drive, just as it was on the PS3. The Xbox One, on the other hand, doesn’t allow for the internal hard drive to be replaced.

The PS4 can’t play MP3s or audio CDs, and it doesn’t have an audio visualizer

Some of the most surprising revelations in the FAQ have to do with the removal of a lot of audio media support functions that were in the PlayStation 3 (and have been in the PlayStation line since the original system, in the case of audio CD and visualizer support). This might seem like a baffling thing to remove until you scroll down a bit in the FAQ and read about Sony’s own Music Unlimited service, which is now the only way for PS4 owners to “create the soundtrack of their choice to listen to while playing their favorite games”—as long as users pay $10 a month for the privilege. We can’t say for sure that these two facts are linked, but it is rather suspicious.

Another PS3 media feature that’s missing from the PS4 is the lack of DLNA support, which will be disappointing to anyone who planned to use their PS4 as a media hub for their living room. These days, chances are good that you have some other devices hooked up to your TV that do largely the same thing. Still, it’s a disappointing rollback.

The PS4 needs a one-time online activation before it can play DVDs and Blu-ray movies

We’ve actually known about this since last week, when Sony first announced the day-one downloadable update that will activate many of the PS4’s launch features. Still, we find it a little amusing (and baffling) that the PlayStation 2 could play DVDs right out of the box back in 2000, but its successor’s successor can’t do the same 13 years later. This is progress?

The official Blu-ray remote for the PlayStation 3 won’t work on the PlayStation 4

We can understand why Sony would want to cut off support for the old DualShock 3 controller, which is missing a few key features that are built in to the DualShock 4. Removing the functionality of the old remote, though, is more mystifying.

You can’t add a voiceover to a shared gameplay clip on the PS4

While you can talk over a livestream of your gameplay, you can’t add audio to a recorded gameplay video clip before you share it to Facebook or PSN. Voiceovers can be added after the fact on the Xbox One using the system’s Upload Studio software.

Players can’t export PS4 gameplay clips directly to a PC

While this feature is being promised for a future update, it will be missing at launch. Combined with the lack of an external HDMI-capture solution until another future update means it’s going to be hard to get video off of the PS4 in a form that’s of much use to YouTubers and others who need it at launch.

The ugly

PS4 games no longer come on DVD?

That’s the implication from an answer indicating that “physical PS4 games come on Blu-ray Disc, the best form of media capable of handling the large amounts of data that PS4 requires.” We suppose there’s no reason to continue to support plain-old DVD-based games any longer, but it’s still the end of an era if the format is on its way out for game storage.

The PS4 allows for firmware update from a “safe mode”

Like the PS3 before it, you’ll be able to boot the PS4 to a “safe mode” by holding down the power button for seven seconds. This will allow users to install firmware updates from a USB memory stick, but Sony warns that “Users should only update using official files downloaded from PlayStation.com." How long do you think it will be before hackers try to use this safe mode installation to their own advantage?

The PS4 only supports four controllers being connected at one time

This is technically a downgrade from the PS3, which allowed for seven DualShock controllers to be synced at once. That said, I can’t think of any PS3 games that allow for seven-player local multiplayer, so this isn’t that much of a downgrade.

Vita Remote Play “may or may not work” outside of the home.

Sony warns heavily that playing PS4 games on a Vita while on the go requires “a robust and stable Wi-Fi connection and broadband Internet connection,” and Sony “strongly recommends” that you use the feature only when the Vita and PS4 are on the same local network. This is pretty different from Sony’s marketing messages, which show happy, bright-eyed young people easily accessing Remote Play without a care as they go about their days.

There’s no system level support for USB or Bluetooth mice

This isn’t that surprising, but it was still interesting to see it directly addressed. USB and Bluetooth keyboards will work, though, and “certain games” may support mouse control, Sony says.

Rock Band 3 supported more than four controllers. It made it significantly easier to switch into/out of "All Instruments" mode, whereas on the Xbox Three Hundred Sixty you would need to do a controller swapping dance in a precise order.

As for games on DVD, were there PS3 games on DVD? I thought they ditched DVD after the PS2.

DLNA was also not available on the PS3 at launch, either. That seems like something that would be relatively trivial to add in a system update.

While some of the omissions are baffling, I can't say I've ever used most of them on the ps3 outside of an initial test run. I have so many devices on my network that provide these functions, and the ps3 was never amongst the most capable. My biggest beef is the lack of support for the headset I have with a ****ing PlayStation logo on the side. I seriously hope support comes sooner rather than later.

Another PS3 media feature that’s missing from the PS4 is the lack of DLNA support, which will be disappointing to anyone who planned to use their PS4 as a media hub for their living room. These days, chances are good that you have some other devices hooked up to your TV that do largely the same thing. Still, it’s a disappointing rollback.

They specifically mention PCs in the FAQ but I suppose it's too much to hope that my NAS will work as it does with my PS3...I'll be very, very disappointed to see the end of that feature.

Rock Band 3 supported more than four controllers. It made it significantly easier to switch into/out of "All Instruments" mode, whereas on the Xbox Three Hundred Sixty you would need to do a controller swapping dance in a precise order.

As for games on DVD, were there PS3 games on DVD? I thought they ditched DVD after the PS2.

DLNA was also not available on the PS3 at launch, either. That seems like something that would be relatively trivial to add in a system update.

That’s the implication from an answer indicating that “physical PS4 games come on Blu-ray Disc, the best form of media capable of handling the large amounts of data that PS4 requires.” We suppose there’s no reason to continue to support plain-old DVD-based games any longer, but it’s still the end of an era if the format is on its way out for game storage.

The Ugly??! WTF? It should also be noted that the PS4 will also not play games that come on C64 cassette tapes. This is terrible!As game data footprints grow, I guess I was the only one not looking forward to "Please insert DVD #34 then hit X".

Quote:

The official Blu-ray remote for the PlayStation 3 won’t work on the PlayStation 4

We can understand why Sony would want to cut off support for the old DualShock 3 controller, which is missing a few key features that are built in to the DualShock 4. Removing the functionality of the old remote, though, is a bit more mystifying.

Looks like Sony is cutting features to hit that low price point. Which is fine; a significant portion of their customers have no problem with it, apparently.

From what I read, most of those features are really just implemented in software. Such as the DLNA support. WTF Sony. Stupid. Probably because they don't want competition for whatever streaming services will be offered/partnered with. Or the no external HDD. I can understand requiring a certain minimum level of performance before allowing a particular drive, but with USB3 you can easily get pretty much max speeds from any spinning disk, and very, very healthy speeds from SSDs. Another stupid thing.

Looks like Sony is cutting features to hit that low price point. Which is fine; a significant portion of their customers have no problem with it, apparently.

Everything listed except CD support is just software, so it's a fixed cost to implement, not a cost per-device. (Which explains the Blu Ray / DVD playback activation. Fewer activations, lower licensing cost) Putting in a laser that supports CD reading is an incremental cost that goes across every PS4 sold, though, and people who want to listen to CDs in 2014 will probably have some way of playing them.

Not supporting mp3 is silly, but the music streaming service makes the nature of that play obvious.

I will be extremely surprised if that's still true in a year.

I imagine within the first year we will see DLNA support, along with mp3 and various other formats supported.

If the PS4 doesn't support external storage, why does it have dual USB 3.0?

Does this mean "Doesn't support gaming from external storage," or "Can't hook any storage up, period?"

It means doesn't support external hard drives to use for game installation.

Given the lack of DLNA and even mp3, I wonder what the purpose of connecting an external drive would even be. Given everything else they say, I'm going to assume it means no connecting an external storage device at all (why require safe mode for a USB system update?).

I actually use the DLNA functionality a LOT on my ps3. Hopefully sony will reconsider with time

Really? The DLNA feature became entirely useless to me when they enabled the Cinavia DRM. Now after about 20 minutes, any movie I've bought since early 2011 has had Cinavia protection and I cant watch it over the network from my home media server.

Now I just have a Mac mini running all the time as my home server (with a USB 3 external storage array attached) and run iTunes to an Apple TV set top box.

I would put no MP3s, no DLNA support, and no PS3 blu-ray remotes in the Ugly column. These three are much worse than the items you mentioned as Ugly. Very disappointed Sony. You need to follow Microsoft's lead and pull a 180 on these things.

What a piece of junk of media station this will be if it cannot play your music library.

One of the things if not the most people use their consoles today is as media station in their living room, this means allot of PS owners actually purchased a device just for films and music.

And the PS4 will not be able to play your music? Really?

Music Unlimited is a piece of crap. Sorry Sony but it is. Most Xperia owners removed this or unlocked their phones to do so because nobody uses it in the first place. Its not nice to force users on crappy services nobody wants.

Music Unlimited requires Internet and second, its only available for specific countries, this means it will not work with my music and audio CDs.

I guess no PS4 for me after all. Some of this features are not bad, but removing audio support is completely non sense. I will just get a small Atom computer as media station then or just keep my PS3 forever.

What is next? Remove the browser so people cannot play Youtube musics and are forced to the horrible Music Unlimited service?

This is one of the reasons why consoles WILL never replace true PCs. I have none of this non sense limitations on a 100$ computer, even a 5 years old computer is able to play videos and music fine.

The more I find out how Amazon, Sony, etc, try to sell you great hardware but lock it to their OS and force you on their services, the more im convinced open hardware should come and people should be able to separate software from hardware.

I guess Sony will not advertise anymore that it does everything like they did with the PS3. It seems the Xbox is the one that is going to do everything, possible even run Windows apps in the future.

Some of the Bad/Ugly items exemplify the concept of a "strategy tax" so well it's like the entire concept was designed so we had a useful way of talking about Sony without resorting to sitting upside down in a ditch screaming.

Just so I understand this right, PS4 will not support media streaming via DLNA. Does that mean when I fire up either my NAS or my Windows 7 PC with Media Player Streaming turned on, the PS4 will not be able to play these? Forgive me for not knowing if this is the means by which I've been streaming everything perfectly with the PS3 for years.

You mention that I might "have some other devices hooked up to your TV that do largely the same thing". Like what? Apple TV?

Eliminating the options to be able to leverage a PS4 as a media center is pretty much a deal breaker for me. I loved 'Last of Us', but damn...

Kyle Orland / Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in Pittsburgh, PA.